DE3003055A1 - METHOD AND DEVICE FOR CLEANING CHARMS OR MATS - Google Patents

Description

Method and device for cleaning rugs or mats

The invention relates to the cleaning of rugs and mats and, more particularly, to a method and an industrial mat cleaning device for use in commercial mat maintenance services are. It is becoming increasingly common in all types of businesses to make door mats made of soft, dust-absorbing material To use material that needs to be cleaned or washed regularly, and normally These mats are from laundries or other companies that deal with a mat replacement and laundry service deal, rented. Usually these mats have a latex backing to bind the soft pile, and if such mats are cleaned in conventional washing machines, the washing capacity is adversely affected, because the back of the mats usually does not need to be washed, so that is inevitable The presence of the back in the washing drum means a reduction in capacity.

Efforts have therefore been made to develop so-called "flat washing machines", i.e. washing machines, in which the mats are passed through a washing zone in a precisely defined manner, means being provided to clean the mats effectively, especially on the pile side. In this context, it should be emphasized that such rugs and mats are particularly difficult to wash because the back is tight and penetration of water or another 'cleaning fluid' prevented. If on the other hand the mats

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be moved in a precisely defined manner through a washing zone, it is easy to provide means for treating the pile, e.g. rotating brushes, which have a positive cleaning effect on the pile side of the mats.

However, although earlier attempts to treat the mat pile side with mechanical cleaning agents for example with the mentioned rotating brushes with certain types of mats have, the mode of action was not satisfactory with the types of mats mentioned at the beginning, because their pile mainly made of cotton fibers or a similarly soft material and usually a pile of this type Can be compacted and even damaged if subjected to harsh mechanical treatment or self treatment is made with high pressure water jets and the like.

The invention is based on the object of creating a method and a device for making rugs and to be able to clean mats of the type in question effectively and gently without the pile being compressed.

The invention is based on a method for cleaning rugs or mats with a pile, velor Or the like. On one side, in which the rugs or mats are successively moved along a conveying path and doing different cleaning processes in a number of stations be subjected.

The object set is achieved according to the invention in that the mats in at least one treatment vessel be subjected to a relatively abrupt change in the conveying direction to an area of the pile on the pile side to open, and that the opened pile area is exposed to a pulsating liquid pressure.

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The invention also relates to a washing device for carrying out the aforementioned method a container for the treatment of the mats and with guide and conveying means around the rugs or mats to lead sequentially along a conveying path through the treatment container, provided according to the invention is that the guide and conveyor means are arranged so that they define a conveyor path, the has a relatively sharp bend at a given treatment site in, the container to cause an expansion of the pile when this bends as the outer layer of the rug or the mat happens, and that means for pulsing the liquid are arranged in the container such that the expanded Flor is exposed to the treatment by the pulsating liquid.

To guide the mats, guide rollers are arranged in an open washing container so that the mats are continuous can be passed through the container, the back rests against the guide rollers so that there is a bend of about 180 ° on the rollers, which expands the pile side when passing the rollers, i.e. the pile is practically "opened" here so that access to the bottom of the pile is facilitated. Direct Means are provided in front of the open pile area to effect pressure changes in the water or the washing liquid, whereby a pump / suction effect is achieved, which leads to a very good efficiency of the washing process without damage of the pile leads.

According to another feature of the invention, the mats are successively subjected to a dry vibration treatment subjected before they are immersed in the washing container, thereby removing coarse and loose dust before the wet wash is initiated.

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μ. 7 -

The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to the exemplary embodiments shown in the drawing. In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a schematic side view

a washing device according to the invention,

Fig. 2. a perspective partial view

the inlet end of the device,

Fig. 3 is a perspective, partially

sectional view of a modification of one of the washing stations of the device and

Fig. 4 is a schematic side view for a preferred embodiment of the device.

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The washing device shown in FIG. 1 contains an open tank 2 which is divided into three individual washing compartments 4 and 8 by means of two inclined and upwardly extending dividing elements 10 and 12. A double conveyor belt system 14 is guided by means of a number of transverse rollers R so that it repeatedly moves up and down in the washing liquid in the individual washing compartments. The conveyor belt system 14 is composed of the upper run of a lower belt system 16 and the lower run of an upper belt system 18, and these systems are continuously moved towards one another at the rear end of a feed station A, which can be seen from FIG. In station A, mats 20 are placed on a horizontal section of the lower belt system 16 and then moved under a roller R ₁ around which the belts of the upper belt system 18 are guided and then come into contact with the top of the mat, whereupon the mats are pinched on their further conveying path between the opposing belts.

The mats 20 are placed on the belts 16 in the feed station A in such a way that their upper side is directed downwards, ie so ₍ that the pile side 22 rests on the belts 16 and the latex back 24 forms the upper side of the mats.

The first section of the combined conveyor belt system 14 is _{inclined upwards towards a roller R 2} , and on this section the mats run along the top of a grate 26, which is associated with a vibrator assembly 28, so that they are approximately perpendicular to Level of the mats can be set in vibration, whereby the coarse dust in the mat is knocked out in particular by the upward movements of the grids 26 and falls through the grids 26 down into a shaft 30,

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_ 9 -

in which the coarse dust goes down into a container 32 slides.

The conveyor belt system 14 moves the mats down from the roller R ₂ into a pre-wash compartment 4, in which the mats are submerged when they pass a floor roller Rs which is deflected by 180 °. The mats are then lifted up to an upper roller R4, in which they are deflected again and directed into compartment 4 up to a further bottom roller R5. At least one of the rollers R3 and R5 can be connected to a vibrator arrangement 34, which sets the entire roller in vibration, whereby further dirt can be loosened from the pile that passes the respective roller as an outer layer, ie the pile is exposed to the surrounding liquid, it expands and "opens" to some extent as the back 24 of the mat is flexed about the particular roll. Instead, or in addition, a vibrator assembly 36 can be placed outside the area in which the pile is "opened", pressure waves in the water penetrating the pile layer and helping to loosen the dirt without actually touching the pile. Ultrasonic actuation of the system 36 can also be considered.

After leaving the last floor roll R5 in department 4, the conveyor belt 14 and thus the pretreated mats 20 run upwards along the inclined separating element 10, the pile sides of the mats pointing to the right and here practically forming the lower layer of the mats, so that the water can drip from the pile and run back on the separating element 10 into the department 4. The incline ensures good frictional contact between the mats and the conveyor belt. _{A roller R 6 is} arranged above the separating element, which again deflects the conveyor belt into the next compartment 6

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and cooperates with a wringer roller 38 to be practical squeeze all remaining water out of the mats before they go to the next section, in which there is another liquid.

The conveyor belt now runs to a first floor roller R7 in the next department 6 and then over one top roller Re to a second bottom roller R9 behind the the conveyor belt leaves department 6 in the same way as department 4 behind roller 5.

The rollers R7 and R ₉ are each mounted in the space between two opposite, parallel plates 40 and 42, which run between the side walls of the tank 2 parallel to the separating element 10 and only a little greater distance from each other than the outer diameter of the respective roller including the conveyor belt System 14 so that. the mats run close to the opposite sides of the panels 40 and 42. These plates are extended downward beyond the rollers R7 and Rg, so that they each form an intermediate space 44 below the rollers which is practically closed on its upper side by the respective roller. Within the space 44, a transverse plate 46 is attached to a support structure 48 so that axial reciprocation in the space 44 is possible, the plate 46 practically filling the cross-section of the space 44 and the support structure 48 by any suitable means is driven so that the plates 46 are reciprocated in the direction of the arrow.

As a result of the forced movement of the plate 46, the water (or the cleaning liquid) is discharged in the space 44 under the respective roller R7 or R9.

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subjected to pressure fluctuations that cause a pump / Cause suction on the "opened" pile, which is shown by arrows next to the roll Rs, and thereby an intense washing effect is obtained even if the reciprocating movement is not at any high frequency takes place.

The department 8 is equipped in the same way, but only with one role Ri ι. The reciprocated Plate is driven here by a hydraulic cylinder 50.

In practice, the washing machine preferably includes more than the three departments shown in Fig. 1, so that the washing process by differentiated treatment can be optimized, but the training is of course freely selectable.

When the conveyor belt leaves the last compartment of the tank, it passes through two wringers 52 and then by two output rollers 54 and 56, of which the upper roller 54 serves as a return roller for the tapes 18, while the roller 56 moves the tapes 16 into a horizontal section 58 with the washed mat 20 resting thereon diverts to an outer return roller 60 for the lower belts. The mats running over the roller 60 can picked up by another conveyor belt system and, if necessary, further to a drying and impregnation section of the machine.

From Fig. 1 it can be seen that the bottom rollers R ₇ , R ₉ and Ri t are arranged relatively high in the compartments 6 and 8 to create a space for the underlying means for moving the plates 46. The spaces below the lowermost position of the plates 46 are more or less dead spaces, and also off

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for this reason it is desirable to locate these rollers and plates 46 closer to the bottom of the tank and the Drive means at the upper end of the tank or at least above the liquid level of the respective compartment, which also avoids special sealing problems.

In Fig. 3, a drive system according to this proposal is shown as an example. The role R is rotatably mounted between bearings 62 which are attached to opposite side walls of the tank, and the Plate 46 is provided at both ends with arms 64 which are directly within the respective tank side walls protrude upwards and have a longitudinal slot 66 through which the axis of the roller R between the end of the roller and the bearing 62 runs. Thus, the plate 46 can pass through without being hindered by the presence of the roller R movement of the arms 64 can be moved up and down. Such movement is easy at the top of the arms to effect, e.g. by hydraulic cylinders or as shown by an eccentric 68, which is driven by a gear motor 70 are driven for the two arms 64 via a suitable parallel guidance system (not shown) will.

The effect of the water next to the "open" Pile areas in the form of pump / suction pressure fluctuations can also be achieved by other means instead of being reciprocated Plates 46 are effected, for example by moving the rollers or the lower ends of the transverse plates accordingly 40, 42. If the plates 46 are fixed, the pressure fluctuations can also be caused by a pipe connection to the outside Means for generating such fluctuations are effected. Such a pipe connection can be a transverse, and it is therein

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even possible to introduce an amount of air so that the pile is exposed to air bubbles which increase the washing effect. The same For example, bubbles can be introduced by means 36 in compartment 4 of FIG.

The cleaning effect, of course, becomes independent of the agents used for cleaning in general improved, the more the pile is "opened" when passing the rollers in the tank / and normally the measure is the The smaller the roll diameter, the higher the opening of the pile. In the case of a strong opening, this can even be considered be drawn to provide a gentle mechanical treatment for the pile, e.g. by rotating brushes or the use of high pressure water jets because such treatment is less prone to compaction effect of the pile if the pile is kept wide open will. On the other hand, the roller diameter should also not be used when using the conveyor belt system described too small to ensure adequate belt life.

The shaft 30 can be replaced by a vacuum cleaner that has a sieve with the tufted surface of the conveyed mats is in contact, the vacuum cleaner with one connected to a vacuum source Dust container is connected.

The chambers or departments 4, 6 and 8 can be supplemented by a further department, not shown, which is dry and is located in front of department 4. This further section also contains an upper and lower roll like the wet compartments 4, 6 and 8. Below the lower roll can be a pulsating group of Air nozzles are placed across with a vacuum cleaner to remove any remaining dust in the mats, if their pile when passing the surface of the rollers

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is opened. In both dry and wet compartments 4, 6 and 8 a group of rubbing fingers can be arranged so that they are in contact with the pile surface of the mat as it passes the lower rollers, the fingers being mechanically transverse to the direction of transport of the mats, that is, moved in the longitudinal direction of the rollers in order to loosen dust before the mats passed the lower surface line of the lower rollers. Such a finger 35 is shown in FIG. 1 next to the roller R ₃ .

Instead of the inclined separating elements 10, 12 vertical dividing elements according to FIG. 4 can also be used. Then also the sections of the conveyor belt system 14 arranged vertically between the rollers on the top and bottom of the washing device. The length the device can then be made shorter.

To achieve savings in energy and water consumption, a water countercurrent can be used, i.e. the water is directed into the last compartment 8 for rinsing the mats and thereby from the hot mats heated up. Then heat and a detergent are added to the water before it goes to the next compartment 6 is supplied, and after use in the washing process in department 6, the same water is used in the prewash department 4 supplied, if necessary after further heating and supply of detergents.

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Claims (10)

EIKENBERG & BRÜMMERSTEDT PATENT Attorneys in Hannover Clean-Tex A / S 259/111 patent claims 1. A method for cleaning rugs or mats with a pile, velor or the like. On one side, in which the rugs or mats are successively moved along a conveyor path and are subjected to different cleaning processes in a number of stations, characterized in that the Rugs or mats in at least one treatment vessel are subjected to a relatively abrupt change in the conveying direction in order to open a region of the pile on the front side, and that the opened pile region is exposed to a pulsating liquid pressure. 2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the change in the conveying direction is effected in that the rugs or mats are guided over a curvature with a radius between 1.5 and 5 mm, preferably by guiding around a roller with a diameter between 2.5 and 5 mm. 3. Washing device for cleaning rugs or mats with a pile, velor or the like. On one side, for carrying out the method according to claim 1 or 2, with a container for treating the rugs or mats, and with guide and conveying means to the To guide rugs or mats one after the other along a conveying path through the treatment container, characterized in that that the guide and conveyor means are arranged so that they define a conveying path, which is a relative has a sharp bend at a predetermined treatment site in the container to prevent expansion of the To cause pile when it passes the bend as the outer layer of the rug or mat, and that are arranged in the container means for pulsing the liquid such that the expanded pile of Treatment by the pulsating liquid is exposed. 4. Apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the bend of the conveying path is formed by a transversely arranged edge element or a roller (R ₃ , Rs, R7 / R9 / Ri1) which serves as a pile opener and around which the mat (20) is guided around at an angle of about 180 ° so that that the open pile area is essentially facing the bottom of the container (2). 5. Apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the means for pulsing the liquid consist of a piston arrangement which can be moved towards and away from the opened pile and cooperates with a plate-shaped element (48) which is parallel to the element opening the pile (R7, R9, R ₁ ί). 6. Apparatus according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that the piston assembly (50) is arranged in the space between the pile opening element (R) and the bottom of the container (2) and is connected to movement control arms (64) which are inside of the container protrude upwards, and the upper ends of which are in drive connection with drive means which impart the reciprocating movement to the piston assembly via the movement control arms (64). Ö300A3 / 0627 7. Apparatus according to claim 4, characterized in that a group of rubbing finger elements (35) is provided for mechanical engagement with the pile during part of the mat movement around the pile opening element, preferably at the beginning thereof, and that the finger elements (35) can be reciprocated in the longitudinal direction of the element opening the pile in order to open the pile in this direction. 8. Device according to one of claims 3-7, characterized in that an automatic knocking arrangement (26, 28) is provided in an inlet section for the mats (20), which is designed as an open grate (26) and against the underside of the mats vibrates when these are fed into the device with the pile side facing downwards. 9. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that the container is liquid-free and is preferably arranged as a pretreatment unit in a series of treatment containers in which means are provided to expose the opened pile to a compressed air flow, which is supplied, for example, in a pulsating manner, and that means are provided for sucking off the dust released thereby. 10. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that a plurality of treatment tanks are arranged in a row through which the mats run one after the other, and each have inlet and outlet means for a treatment liquid, and that the outlet means of an upstream container with the inlet means of a downstream container are connected. - Description - 030043/0627